My sister and I were finally able to get into the pool together so she could give me some tips on improving my form and time. I'm not a horrible swimmer by any means, but I know there are issues with my stroke and she swam for the University of Nebraska-Kearney in college, so I was excited to have someone tell me how to get better. Right away, she was able to point out 3-4 things that I need to work on.
I decided to turn Saturday into a "form" swimming day and just practice keeping good form for 200 meters at a time. It's tough to gauge my speed with the new technique, but I consistently dropped 10 seconds off my 200 time. If I can keep that going for an 800 (sprint distance) and eventually the 1.2 mile swim... I'll be much faster than I currently am. Right now, I can consistently swim a 14 minute 800. At the new pace, I'll be swimming at about a 12 minute pace. I would have never dreamed I could swim that fast this quickly, but I'm looking forward to it.
Another issue I'm having with my training is finding time to add in strength training. I know I need to start lifting weights, but I'm already spending so much time at the gym that I have to severely alter my sleeping/living habits. I really need to get motivated to start getting up at 5:30 and getting in a good workout in the morning and then doing a second workout either at lunch or after work. Strength training will definitely come in handy on the swim and the bike. I don't know if it will make much of a difference on the run, but it definitely can't hurt. I'm hoping to start this new training schedule tomorrow (Monday) but I know I'll find some reason to put it off.
I'm only three months from the half-ironman and I need to kick in my training. I've done a decent job of staying pretty close to schedule for the swim and the bike, but I've dropped off on the run. For some reason I'm almost scared of running for 90 minutes. I've never ran for more than an hour, so it's just a wall I need to get over. I'm just praying for nice weather, because I would much rather run that long outside than in a gym on the treadmill.
February 28, 2010
February 20, 2010
i just want to go run
quick update... it's 10:52 on a saturday night and all i want to do is go run. roads and sidewalks are pure ice right now, so running outside isn't going to happen. i'm still debating if i am actually going to go to the gym and go for a run. it will probably turn into an hour and a half workout session with a nice swim... but i know i will feel great after it.
looks like i just made my decision. i'm off to the gym.
looks like i just made my decision. i'm off to the gym.
February 18, 2010
olympic fever
It's amazing how the Olympics has turned my routine into nothing but work, training, watching tv, and sleeping. I honestly don't really do anything else. I have managed to continue to train and have seen some pretty big gains over the past two weeks.
I took a couple days off because of skiing and having to work long hours, but I was able to get right back into the routine fairly easily. I even managed to get in a mock triathlon at the gym, followed by a 2,000 meter swim the next day. Both of them were a lot easier than I was expecting and a lot easier than when I would do the same thing last summer.
In September, I wouldn't swim more than 1,000 meters in a workout... now I consider 1,500 meters a short swim. I also can easily go run for an hour without getting out of breath or having sore legs. My biking still needs the most work, but I'm managing to ride more and without any pain in my left knee. I'm hopeful I can continue this trend for the next week and a half before training takes an even bigger step up in difficulty.
I took a couple days off because of skiing and having to work long hours, but I was able to get right back into the routine fairly easily. I even managed to get in a mock triathlon at the gym, followed by a 2,000 meter swim the next day. Both of them were a lot easier than I was expecting and a lot easier than when I would do the same thing last summer.
In September, I wouldn't swim more than 1,000 meters in a workout... now I consider 1,500 meters a short swim. I also can easily go run for an hour without getting out of breath or having sore legs. My biking still needs the most work, but I'm managing to ride more and without any pain in my left knee. I'm hopeful I can continue this trend for the next week and a half before training takes an even bigger step up in difficulty.
February 2, 2010
It was a day
No super awesome post today. Biked 18 miles, ran a 5k. I was impressed by the ease of the bike ride and a little underwhelmed by the slowness of the run. That's why I have four more months to get things up to speed.
February 1, 2010
1.25 miles
That's the distance I need to swim in open water without a break. I could probably pull it off now, but it would not be pretty and it would not be fun. Fortunately, I've been able to dominate my swimming training for the past month. After taking a couple months off after my last tri, I knew I would be rusty getting back into the water.
A month ago, I struggled to just swim 800 meters (half-mile) for an entire workout on a consistent basis. Today's swim was 2050 meters (1.27 miles). It's only 100 meters or so further than I'll swim during the race, but it felt really good. Of course, I did get breaks in between sessions, so that helped. And it never hurts knowing all I have to do is stand up if I get ridiculously tired.
Quick summary of today's swim:
Warmup (WU) - 250 meters
Main - 400 meters, 4X100 Meters (Swim 100 Meters 4 times), 300 meters, 3x100, 200 meters, 2x100.
Cool Down - 3x75
I was able to keep a 1:40 per 100 average, which isn't too bad. That would put me at 32.5 minutes to swim the race. My goal is 30-35 minutes, so I'm right on schedule. I swam the 400 in 6:31, which would have put me at 13 1/2 minutes for a half-mile, a personal best. I'm definitely seeing the results of my swim training and it's nice to know I'll be able to reach my goals if I just keep it up.
A month ago, I struggled to just swim 800 meters (half-mile) for an entire workout on a consistent basis. Today's swim was 2050 meters (1.27 miles). It's only 100 meters or so further than I'll swim during the race, but it felt really good. Of course, I did get breaks in between sessions, so that helped. And it never hurts knowing all I have to do is stand up if I get ridiculously tired.
Quick summary of today's swim:
Warmup (WU) - 250 meters
Main - 400 meters, 4X100 Meters (Swim 100 Meters 4 times), 300 meters, 3x100, 200 meters, 2x100.
Cool Down - 3x75
I was able to keep a 1:40 per 100 average, which isn't too bad. That would put me at 32.5 minutes to swim the race. My goal is 30-35 minutes, so I'm right on schedule. I swam the 400 in 6:31, which would have put me at 13 1/2 minutes for a half-mile, a personal best. I'm definitely seeing the results of my swim training and it's nice to know I'll be able to reach my goals if I just keep it up.
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